Trolley-wire splice.



w. H. KEMPTON. TROLLEY WIRE SPLICE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1912.

Patented June 23, 1914.

JN EARN mlmw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLARD I-I. KEMPTON, 0F MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE OHIO BRASS COMPANY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION (313 NEW JERSEY.

TROLLEY-W'IRE SPLICE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLARD H. KEMrToN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-W'ire Splices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to overhead line apparatus for electric railways, and has more particular reference to electric connectors or trolley wire splices.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved device of this character which will be simple and durable in construction and inexpensive to manufacture, and which will be effective and efficient in operation and convenient to handle and install.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved device of this character which will possess a degree of flexibility sufiicient to eliminate crystallization and resulting breakage of the trolley wire.

To the attainment of these ends, and the accomplishment of other new and useful objects hereinafter appearing, my invention consists in the features of novelty disclosed in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein described and claimed, and shown in the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of my invention, and wherein Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a so-called trolley wire splice embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a top.

plan view thereof, and Fig. 4: is a bottom plan view of one of the removable tip sections or members.

In order that my invention may be understood, I have illustrated it as embodied in one form of overhead line apparatus commonly known as a splice for connecting the broken ends of trolley wires together, but it will be obvious to one skilled in the art, after having obtained an understanding of my invention from the disclosure herein made, that my invention is readily applicable to other forms of overhead line apparatus wherein the objectionable features which my invention is designed to overcome, are to be found. The.

trolley wire splice shown in the drawing is chosen to illustrate my invention because of its simplicity.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 26, 1912.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Serial No. 679,843.

The trolley wire splice which is shown in the drawing consists in the main of a body member A and a detachable tip section or member B at each end thereof. The body member A preferably constitutes the portion or part of the device to which the broken or separate ends of the trolley wire 1 are connected. This member is preferably a metal casting, the lower edge 2 of which is longitudinally straight and in section is rounded off to provide a smooth running surface for the trolley wheel or contact carried by the car. This member is provided with two inclined bores or openings 3, which begin adj acent the lower edge at the extreme ends of the body member, and slant or incline upwardly toward the upper central portion thereof where they meet or merge. The upper meeting ends of these inclined bores or passages communicate with an elongated open slot 4:- This slot 4 is sufliciently long so that the metal which forms each end 5 of the slot lies substantially in or below a generally straight line along the bottom wall of the opposite inclined bore 3. That is, if the line of the bottom wall of the left-hand bore of the body structure were projected beyond the device it would intersect the right-hand end 5 of the slot l. The purpose of this arrangement will be obvious when it is observed that in order to insert a wire into the bores 3, the wire must be practically straight, and if the metal at the op )osite end 5 of slot 4 were above the bottom line of the bore the trolley wire could not be inserted past said metal, and hence a sufficient length of wire could not be projected beyond the upper ends of the bores to form bends 6 around the ends 5 of the slot 4. After the ends of the wire are inserted in the bores 3 and the bends 6 are made, the bends form hooks which prevent them from being withdrawn due to the strain On the trolley wire. As a further assurance against their being withdrawn there is preferably provided a number of set screws 8 which may be screwed down upon the wire, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, the upper metal wall of the bores being thickened as at 9 to provide suflicient metal into which the set screws may be threaded. The holding power of these parts may be increased by providing depressions 10 in the bottom walls of the bores opposite the ends of the set screws, so that when the set screws are screwed. down as previously described. It sometimeshappens that the break in the trolley wire occurs at a point where a cross or supporting wire is located. It is also-desirable at times to provide a cross supporting wire at the point where the trolley wire breaks. It will be noted that my invention is designed to meet these conditions in a very simple manner. I provide a detachable suspension member for this purpose. This suspension device may take any desired form and may be attached to the body member in any desired manner. I prefer, however, that this suspension member shall be substantially of form shown in the drawings. In consists of an internally-threaded portion 11 having a flat-faced, round-end extension 12,,which fits between the walls of the slot 4. This may be pivotally attached to the body member A by means of an ordinary bolt 13, which passes through openings in the side walls of the slot 4, and through the extensions 12 of the hanger member. Any suitable means of holding the bolt in position may be provided, such, for instance, as a cotter pin 14. It will be seen that this device may be read ily removed in case the break in the trolley wire occurs between cross wires, and it is not desired to use the device as a hanger. Furthermore, the suspension member offers no obstruction whatever to the insertion of the broken ends of the trolley wire, since it may be readily removed while this operation is performed.

The tip members or flexible extensions B are also preferably, made of cast metal. These tip members are preferably made U- shaped, or grooved in cross section, and their lower edges15 are preferably bendable, so that after they are placed on the wire they may be bent around and conformedthereto. The metal at. the edges 15 adjacent the inner ends of the tips are preferably substantially as thick as the under metal 16 at the ends of the body member, so that when the edges .15 j are bent around the wire, a smooth flush running surface for the trolley wheel will be provided, and bumps or irregularitiesinthe line thus avoided. In order that an easy or gradual approach may be made from the trolley wire to the under running surface, 2 of the body member, I taper or gradually reduce the thickness of the edges 15 of the tips toward the outer ends thereof, the result being that when these tapered edges are bent around the wire, the under side of the outer ends of the tips practically merge into the surface of the trolley wire, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4 The grz'ulual thinning out of the metal in the tips makes them flexible to a certain degree although these tips increase the stiffness of the trolley wire, hence bending strains will not be concentrated at the ends of the body member A, but instead will be distributed by the llexiblc tips throughout a considerable length of trolley wire, and the danger of crystallization will be consequently minimized and practically eliminated. The tips or extension members B, it will be seen, receive the greater part of the wear on the device oceasioned by the passage of the trolley wheels back and forth, and I prefer to make these tips sepa able from the device so that they may be renewed at small expense. Any suitable method of attaching the tip members to the body member may be provided. A simple method of doing this is to provide the inner ends of the tips with integral upsland ing extensions 17. These extensions may be vertically slotted so as to receive corresponding formed tongues or lugs 18 integrally formed on the upper end portions of the body member A, is clearly shown in the drawings, and bolts 19 may be passed through registering openings in the extensions 17 and the interposed tongue or lug 1S. Nuts 20 may be provided on the ends of these bolts, so that the tips may be readily detachable.

The inner ends of the tips or extension members B preferably abut the corresponding ends of the body member A, and it will be noted that the respective abutting ends of these two members are beveled or inclined substantially on the lines 21, which are disposed at an angle with respect to the general longitudinal axis of the trolley wire. This enables the slight bends 22 in the trolley wire at the point where it enters the ends of the bore 3 in the body member to be made on a more gradual curve than if the abutting ends were disposed at right angles to the general longitudinal axis of the trolley wire, and this obviously is more desirable 1 than sharp bends in the wire. This angular abutting relation of the tip members and body member also enables the upward thrust exerted by the trolley wheels on the tip to be taken up at this point instead of by the pivot bolts-l9, by which the tips are attached to the body member A. In consequence the tip members and body member will be main tained in definite alinement, and there will be no tendency to shear the trolley wire at this point.

What I claim as new is:

1. In apparatus of the class described, the combinationeofa body member having an under running surface and wire receivii bores thereabove, a trolley wire inserted in each of said bores and means for fastening the ends of the trolley wire in said bores, extension members positioned at the ends of said body member and embracing the trolley wire, and having their ends disposed in an gular abutting relation to the ends of said body member, and means for detachably fastening said extension members to said body member.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a body member having an under running surface and wire receiving bores terminating at their outer ends in angular relation thereto, extension members disposed at the ends of said body member and having their ends formed for angular abutting contact with the ends of said body member, and means for detachably securing said extension member to said body member.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a body member having upwardly inclined Wire receiving bores and an under running surface disposed generally below the under side of said trolley wire, said member having its ends disposed at an angle with respect thereto, detachable tip members having their ends in angular abutting relation to the ends of said body memher and having their under surface tapered downwardly from the wire to substantially the level of the under running surface of said body member, whereby to provide a generally continuous under running surface throughout the length of the device.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body casting having a generally straight under running surface and an opening at its top, inclined bores extending from the ends of said casting adjacent the under running surface thereof, and terminating in said opening-at the top thereof, means for securing the ends of the trolley wire to be spliced in said bores, and flexible detachable top members positioned at the ends of said casting.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body casting having a generally straight under running surface and an opening at its top, inclined bores extending from the ends of said casting adjacent the under running surface thereof, and terminating in said opening at the top thereof, means for securing the ends of the trolley wire to be spliced in said bores, the ends of said casting being beveled on lines converging downwardly, and extension members detachably secured to said body casting and having their ends correspondingly beveled and abutting the beveled ends of said body casting.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body casting having a gen erally straight under running surface and an opening at its top, inclined bores extending from the ends of said casting adjacent the under running surface thereof, and terminating in said opening at the top thereof, means for securing the ends of the trolley wire to be spliced in said bores, and a suspension member detachably secured in said openin 7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body casting having a generally straight under running surface and an opening at its top, inclined bores extending from the ends of said casting adjacent the under running surface thereof, and terminating in said opening at the top thereof, means for securing the ends of the trolley wire to be spliced in said bores, a hanger member pivotally secured in said opening in the body casting, tapered flexible tip members disposed at the ends of said casting and having bendable lips adapted to be conformed to the Wire, the adjacent ends of the tips and body casting being beveled 011 lines converging downwardly, and means detach: ably securing said tip members to said body member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 20th day of February A. D. 1912.

WILLARD H. KEMPTON.

Witnesses J. ROWLAND BROWN, J. C. PAINTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

